San Diego State 59, Western Carolina 58
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - San Diego State's Kyle Spain connected on a pair of free throws with 11.2 seconds remaining in regulation to provide the winning tally as the Aztecs pulled out a 59-58, last second win over Western Carolina in its quarterfinal match-up Thursday night in the Great Alaska Shootout at the Sullivan Arena.
Relegated into the consolation bracket, Western Carolina will face Louisiana Tech on Friday afternoon at approximately 2:00 pm local time, 6:00 pm ET. The Bulldogs fell to Seattle, 61-46, in the evening session's first game.
Red-shirt freshman Harouna Mutombo led the Catamounts with a career-high 20 points, swiping a career-best five steals while also dishing out four assists. Junior Jake Robinson added 16 points including four 3-pointers for his seventh-straight, double-digit scoring performance, with junior Adrian Gailliard chipping in seven off of the bench.
Junior G Brandon Giles struggled from the field, shooting 2-for-9 and just 1-for-3 from behind the 3-point arc for five points, snapping his string of consecutive double-digit scoring outings at 20.
Western Carolina (1-2) broke open a close game midway through the first half with a 19-to-3 run, erasing a four-point deficit and pulling out to a game-high 12-point lead with four minutes remaining in the opening session. The run was spurred by three-straight steals by Mutombo on consecutive possessions and allowed WCU to carry an eight-point, 33-25, edge into the locker room.
After the half, the Aztecs (3-1) tied the game with an 11-to-3 start to knot the game at 36 just five minutes into the second stanza. WCU answered with a 6-0 spurt of its own including a 3-pointer by Brigham Waginger and tip-in by Robinson, and eventually stretched it out to an 8-point edge, 46-38, on a four-point play by Mutombo with just over 10 minutes to play.
San Diego State hung tough, however, forcing the third tie of the half two minutes later, 48-48. The Catamounts were able to stretch their lead back out to as many as four on three separate occasions, but the Aztecs answered each time, assuming a one-point, 57-56, lead at the one-minute mark on a Spain free throw.
On the ensuing possession, Mutombo connected on a circus shot in the paint to give the Catamounts the lead back, 58-57. The Aztecs were pushing for the go-ahead score but committed a turnover, giving WCU the ball back with 20 seconds to play. As Western pushed the ball into the front court in an attempt to run out the clock, SDSU purposefully fouled sending Catamount freshman Greg Avery to the free throw line.
However, WCU was unable to connect on the two-shot foul giving the Aztecs the ball with a chance to go for the win in a one-possession game. With 11.2 seconds showing on the Sullivan Arena scoreboard, Mutombo was called for a loose-ball foul sending Spain to the charity stripe for the two aforementioned free throws which proved to be the game winners.
Mutombo was whistled for a traveling violation on WCU's final possession preventing the Catamounts from getting a final shot attempt up.
Free throw shooting proved to be a big difference in the game as the Aztecs made more free throws (18-of-30, 60-percent) than the Catamounts attempted (7-of-12, 58.3-percent). WCU held a slim, 32-to-31, edge on the boards.